After tying the series at two games apiece on Saturday, Midland shut out Tulsa in Game #5 on Sunday to become 2014’s Texas League champions. RockHounds ace Nate Long, who notched the win in Game #1, tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings to hold Tulsa scoreless while the Hounds took the lead. Long struck out 5 before exiting with a 3-run lead and ended up earning his 2nd win in the series. RHP Marcus Walden tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, while LHP Frank Gailey pitched a perfect 8th, and RHP Jose Flores got the final three outs in the 9th. Shortstop Dusty Coleman hit a 2-run homer to give the Hounds the lead in the 2nd, and second baseman Conner Crumbliss followed with a homer in the 5th to extend the lead. Outfielder Jeremy Barfield singled, doubled and drove in a run, while third baseman Matt Chapman singled in the RockHounds’ final run in the 6th to help Midland earn its first Texas League crown since the team last took the title in 2009.

The RockHounds notched their third straight victory over Frisco on Saturday night to clinch the Texas League South Division Championship and earn their ticket to the Texas League Championship Series. And Midland managed to claim victory on Saturday by collecting just 3 hits. First baseman Max Muncy got things going early by homering in the 1st inning to put the Hounds on the board. Shortstop Dusty Coleman singled and scored on a wild pitch in the 5th, and outfielder Jeremy Barfield, who walked 3 times, doubled and was stranded in the 8th – while designated hitter Conner Crumbliss drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 5th. Starter Shawn Haviland gave up 3 runs in 4 innings of work, while RHP Deryk Hooker allowed 1 run over 2 2/3 innings to earn the win, and RHP Jose Flores tossed a scoreless 9th to pick up the save. Midland will now take on Tulsa in the best-of-five Texas League Championship Series starting Tuesday in Tulsa.

After scoring 11 runs in Thursday’s game, Stockton came back to put 17 runs on the board on Friday. Second baseman Wade Kirkland slugged a grand slam in the 6th inning to help put the game out of reach, while third baseman Ryon Healy collected 3 hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in 3, and catcher Beau Taylor doubled, had a pair of singles and a pair of walks and drove in 4. Starter Josh Bowman allowed 5 runs over 5 innings of work to pick up his 8th win, while RHPs Andres Avila and Bobby Wahl each tossed 2 scoreless innings in relief for the Ports.

Led by last year’s 2nd-round draft pick for the A’s, Dillon Overton, some of the A’s most newly-minted pitching prospects combined to shut out Aberdeen on just 3 hits on Tuesday. Overton, who’s working his way back from Tommy John surgery, started the game off by pitching 3 perfect innings while striking out 3 of the minimum 9 batters he faced. This year’s 3rd-round pick, RHP Brett Graves, allowed just 1 hit in 3 shutout innings to earn the win, while this year’s 2nd-round pick, RHP Daniel Gossett, struck out 4 in 2 scoreless innings of relief, and RHP Lee Sosa came on to get the final three outs in the 9th for the Lake Monsters. Left fielder Max Kuhn singled, doubled, walked and drove in 3, while third baseman Jose Brizuela singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored twice, and shortstop Yairo Munoz and designated hitter Seong-min Kim had a pair of hits apiece for Vermont.

On a night when the Ports put 13 runs on the board, it was pitcher Jake Sanchez who was the star of the night in Stockton. Sanchez allowed just 1 run on 3 hits while striking out a career-high 12 in 7 innings of work to earn his 8th win. With Stockton’s top starter, Seth Streich, on the disabled list with shoulder issues, Sanchez has emerged as the Ports’s best pitcher, putting together 8 wins in 10 starts and posting an impressive 3.05 ERA while striking out 63 in 62 innings. Meanwhile on Saturday, shortstop Daniel Robertson went 5 for 5 with a double and a walk and scored 4 times, while catcher Beau Taylor had 4 hits, drove in 4 runs and homered for the second straight night, outfielder Jaycob Brugman homered for the third time in the last four days, and first baseman Matt Olson and designated hitter Ryon Healy drove in 3 runs apiece for the Ports.

RHP Josh Bowman turned in an impressive start for Stockton to help the Ports win their sixth straight on Thursday. Bowman allowed just 3 hits while walking none and striking out 4 over 7 shutout innings to earn his 5th win. RHPs Kris Hall and Blake Hassebrock both tossed a scoreless inning in relief. First baseman Matt Olson hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st, while outfielder Jaycob Brugman had a pair of singles and homered for the second straight night for Stockton.

RHP Zach Neal turned in a strong start for Sacramento, allowing 1 run on just 3 hits while striking out 6 over 8 innings of work to earn his 5th win on Friday. First baseman Daric Barton had 3 hits, including a double, and drove in a run, while left fielder Shane Peterson singled, triple, walked and drove in a pair, and center fielder Billy Burns went 0 for 4 with a walk, scored twice and stole 2 bases in his first game for Sacramento.

Stockton jumped out to an early lead on Friday when second baseman Chad Pinder hit his 12th home run in the 1st inning for the Ports. Pinder finished the night with 3 hits, a walk, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored, while first baseman Matt Olson hit his league-leading 29th home run, and outfielder Bobby Crocker collected 3 hits and drove in a run for the Ports. Stockton starter Jake Sanchez allowed 3 runs over 6 innings of work to earn his 5th win, while RHP Nolan Sanburn gave up 2 runs, 1 earned, in 2 innings of relief, and RHP Austin House pitched a perfect 9th to post his 13th save.

Triple-A All-Star outfielder Shane Peterson had a big night for the River Cats, slugging 3 home runs to help the Cats come out the winners in a 10-inning contest on Thursday. His first home run put Sacramento on the board in the 3rd, his second brought the River Cats within 2 runs in the 5th and his third gave his team a 3-run lead in the 6th. Second baseman Jose Martinez collected 4 hits, including a double, and drove in the winning run in the 10th, while outfielder Nick Buss had a double and a pair of singles and also drove in a run. First baseman Daric Barton singled, tripled, walked and scored the winning run, and third baseman Alden Carrithers and designated hitter Anthony Aliotti had a pair of hits apiece and both drove in a run for the River Cats. Starter Drew Pomeranz had a rough outing, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits, including a pair of home runs, over 4 innings of work, while RHP Evan Scribner picked up the win despite giving up the tying run in the 9th, and RHP Jeremy McBryde tossed a scoreless 10th to notch his 9th save.

Designated hitter Renato Nunez had the big blast for Stockton on Thursday night, slugging his second grand slam this week in the bottom of the 1st to overcome a 2-0 deficit and give the Ports a lead that would not be lost for the rest of the evening. The home run was Nunez’s 21st, which puts him only behind teammate Matt Olson, who has 25, in the California League home run race. Third baseman Ryon Healy hit his 11th homer as well as his 21st double. And with two men on and no outs in the top of the 4th, Healy also started a rare triple play for the Ports, getting the first out at third before tossing on to Colin Walsh who got the out at second before relaying it on to Matt Olson for the final out at first. Starter Josh Bowman gave up a home run on the first pitch of the ballgame and allowed a second run in the top of the 1st as well. But after that, he tossed 5 shutout innings and ended up allowing 2 runs and striking out 5 over 6 innings to earn his 2nd win. RHP Andres Avila struck out 4 in 2 perfect innings of relief, while RHP Kris Hall pitched a perfect 9th for the Ports. Meanwhile, catcher Ryan Lipkin was activated off the disabled list for Sacramento and reassigned to Stockton while catcher Bruce Maxwell leaves the team for a couple of days to tend to a family emergency. And it looks likely that RHP Tim Atherton will land on the disabled list with a quadriceps issue, but no official announcement has yet been made.